By NewsDesk  @bactiman63

Philippines health officials reported an additional 8,355 new COVID-19 infections Monday, bringing the total cases seen in the pandemic to 803,398.

The Department of Health (DOH) also reported 10 new deaths, raising the death toll to 13,455.

In the National Capital Region (NCR), or Metro Manila area, 79 percent of 1,900 intensive care unit beds, 72 percent of 13,500 isolation beds, 60 percent of 6,000 ward beds, and 61 percent of 2,000 ventilators dedicated to patients with Covid-19 are currently utilized.

To increase occupancy rates in NCR hospitals, officials are setting up modular tents in hospitals across Metro Manila.

As of Saturday, eight NCR hospitals have requested the setting up of modular tents, namely: Jose R. Reyes Memorial Medical Center (JRRMMC) at the Quezon Institute (QI), Jose N. Rodriguez Memorial Hospital and Sanitarium (Tala), Amang Rodriguez Memorial Medical Center, Tondo Medical Center, National Center for Mental Health, Lung Center of the Philippines (LCP), National Kidney and Transplant Institute, and San Lazaro Hospital.

To further manage healthcare utilization in NCR, the DOH, with the assistance of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), has facilitated the creation of extensions for level 3 hospitals which include the 44-bed modular hospital at Tala which begun its operations last week, 44-bed modular hospital at LCP which started operating last January, and the 110-bed capacity off-site modular extension of JRRMC at QI expected to open on April 8, among others.